A Storm of Proximity
by Dodden
Summary: Clark and Lois find themselves alone at the farm as a storm is about to unleash its fury upon the Midwest. Post Crimson...


**Title: A Storm of Proximity  
Author: Dodden  
Rating: PG-13  
Pairing: Clois**

**Another small piece that had come to my mind that I thought might be interesting to type up. I intended on using this chapter to establish a new fic, but I had gotten halfway through the second chapter when I realized it wasn't clicking well, so I dropped it. **

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The lightning lit up the sky like a light switch turning on suddenly and then being flipped off an instant later. The deep rumble of thunder could be heard in the distance as rain threatened to break free from the dark clouds above. Even in the dark, sun setting night sky, the moon cast a shadow against the impending storm, its billowing thunderheads rolling up into the sky like the anvils of old. It would only be minutes before the moon itself was swallowed up by the darkness that stretched across the Midwest. Unlike any other storm in the past decade, this one had the impenetrable force of devastation and destruction.

Clark walked on the shoulder of the highway, his boots kicking gravel and dust into the air as he scanned the blackness that would soon envelope him. He had caught the forecast earlier, and especially the fact that the storm had already ravaged its way through Texas and Oklahoma, spouting numerous tornados and golf ball sized hail. His eyes never left the clouds in front of him as he reached the side road to the farm. Normally he would have sped home, but he enjoyed the look of the storm off in the distance. There was something about the way the lightning flickered, and the thunder rumbled, that made him feel a little less restrained.

The summer had been dry so far, but the storm threatened to put an end to the small drought they were currently suffering through. The only problem, and he knew it, was the fact that torrential downpours would cause flash flood fields, plugging tile and tearing crops to pieces. That wasn't the worst of it though, if the weather station was correct in their assumption of large hail, the corn could be ripped to shreds. It was late June and the corn was nowhere near knee high. Clark chuckled to himself at the old saying, knee high by July. This was one year where there definitely wasn't going to be any corn more than shin high by July, if any of it actually survived the storm.

The television had reported that other states had suffered extensive damage, which wasn't uncommon in the Midwest, tornado alley always whipping up something or other every week during the storm season. But this was a big one though, a storm that had already broken the record for most amount of rainfall in a span of two hours in Oklahoma, and had spouted a large tornado, stretching out almost a mile and a half. From all reports the funnel was still around, but supposedly it wasn't going to hit anywhere near Smallville. He had laughed at that though, commenting to himself that it would more than likely hit Smallville head on, the town being the magnet for all things destructive and strange. It wouldn't be much of a stretch for the storm to suddenly veer off and direct the twister towards them.

More lightening flashed as he counted the seconds between it and the thunder. As each minute passed, he could tell that it was getting closer, but moving at an agonizingly slow pace. He could see the farm lights ahead, their transparent glow against the dark clouds creating an illuminating visage that made him smile. The trees swayed back and forth in the strong wind, they're leaves making the only audible noise other than the thunder. The small windmill behind the barn spun furiously as he got closer, his vision picking up on its rapid rate. The day had been warm, almost too warm, but there had been no humidity. The air had been dry, but still hotter than usual. But now that the night had fallen, the temperature had dropped.

He was almost near the end of the laneway when a car pulled up beside him. It didn't drive past, but instead slowed to a crawl, keeping pace with his walking.

"Smallville, what are you doing walking down the road?"

It was Lois, in her red corvette, her mocking voice piercing through his ears and ripping his mind from the surrounding landscape. "Just walking." He replied, moving a little quicker. She sped up to keep pace with him.

"Why?" She asked with a short laugh, her head stretching out over the passenger seat to look at him.

Clark ignored her question and stopped his walking. He smiled as he watched her roll past both him and the laneway. He turned left and laughed as he started down the gravel driveway. He could hear her cursing, and shifting into reverse so that she could get back to the laneway. A soft chuckle escaped his lips as he heard the engine build steadily. Not one second later she was racing past him, shooting gravel and dust at him as she disappeared towards the house. He coughed at the dust and put up a defensive hand. The gravel wouldn't have hurt even if he wasn't impenetrable, but he played the part of concerned human well, so it was an instinctive reflex.

With his shirt whipping in the strong breeze, he walked slowly towards the house. His mother was in Wichita for the week, away on senate work. He was left to care for the farm, to make sure the chores were done, and that the house was being taken care of. In truth, he enjoyed having the house to himself. It allowed him to be at peace with his thoughts. Sure, Lana and Lex invaded much of his present reality, but he always found himself handling it much easier when he was alone. The closer he got to the house; the more he wondered why Lois was in fact here. "Lois." Clark said pointedly, walking up to her parked car.

"Yeah?" She asked, her head and ponytail whipping from out of the car and looking at him.

"What brings you by? Shouldn't you and Chloe be hunkered down in your apartment to wait out the storm?" He stopped and helped her with a box she had been struggling to pull out of the back seat.

"Thanks Smallville." She relayed, closing the door. "Well, Chloe is in Metropolis with Jimmy - Thanks for fixing that by the way – and I," She paused for a moment. "I was bored."

Clark ran a circle around her words and frowned. "What do you mean, fix?" He asked sourly, thinking she was mocking him somehow. She never said thank you in back to back sentences.

"The whole Chloe and Jimmy thing, they are too cute together to have them apart." She smirked and opened the door, walking inside.

As usual, Clark chuckled at her words and walked after her, up the porch steps to the door. Lois being herself, of course, didn't hold the door open for him when he was holding a box in his arms. Fumbling with the large box, he managed to hold it with one hand while resting the bottom on a raised knee. His chin kept it steady from the top as he opened the screen door with his right hand and went inside. "What's in the box?" he asked, half stumbling, half walking into the house.

"Our apartment was getting crowded and your mom suggested that we store some things here."

Clark nodded and walked by her and set the box on counter. "I think I could find a place to put it. It's big, but there are enough nooks around here." He smiled a little as he walked back towards the door.

Lois, noticing him leaving and asked. "Where are you off to? Aren't chores done?" She was being her curious self, but she had other motives for her visit. She had the sneaking suspicion Clark had been hiding some of the things about their Valentines Day adventure. He claimed he couldn't remember anything, but every time she spoke to him about it, he would tighten up. He probably didn't think she noticed it, but she did, and it set off alarm bells in her head. Chloe was a big help too, she seemed to be pussyfooting around the subject too, referring her to Clark to get more answers. It all pointed to the fact that the farm boy knew more about that day than he was letting on.

"I'm not going to miss watching such a magnificent display of nature before if turns ugly." He stated hurriedly, pushing his way out the door.

She followed after him, her ponytail bouncing wildly as she scurried out the door and down the steps of the porch. "When did you become so fascinated with the weather?"

He threw back a fleeting glance and watched her walking briskly towards him. "I've always been fascinated with these types of things. I'm an amateur astronomer if you recall."

He was right; he had always been caught up in the stars and the sky. It was weird since she could have sworn he was afraid of heights. She finally caught up to him as he leaned his elbow on the top of one of the loader tractor's rear tires. His body had a slight tilt to it as his neck was craned upward, watching the sky. Lacking her coat, she crossed her arms and stood beside him looking up to the south as she watched the lightning with him. A sudden fork rippled across the black sky, lighting up the dark clouds around it. Her eyes went wide at the sheer scope and width of the thunderheads. "Wow." She breathed softly, getting caught up in its splendor.

He couldn't help but grin at her remark. Lois was always on the go, looking for things to occupy her time, to keep things from getting boring and silent, but he also knew that the sight of an impending storm could also get her attention. "Have you never taken the time to look at a storm before?" He asked, never taking his eyes off the sky in front of him.

"Yes, but never in the open before. It's looks so beautiful from out in the country." She exclaimed softly, not really paying attention to exactly what she was saying. Her eyes were glued to the distant sky, drinking in the wealthy sight. "I've never seen anything quite like it." She said a second later, tearing her eyes from the sky and looking to him. A few stray wisps of hair danced along her forehead as the wind caught hold of them. She expected something from him, but when she looked at him all she could see was a huge grin that showed his perfect white teeth. Continuing to stare at him, she watched the reflection of lightning flicker in his eyes. He looked like a kid at a candy store, unwilling to blink, taking in every passing moment as if it was his last. She found herself getting lost, staring into his blue-green orbs from beside him. They had a way of hypnotizing her, drawing her into them as she made no move to resist their draw.

"Lois?" Clark asked suddenly, having tore his eyes away and frowning deeply at her penetrating gaze. She was looking directly into his eyes and it was definitely unsettling to say the least.

She snapped back to it at the sound of his voice. Shaking her head with finger placed on her forehead, she apologized. "Sorry Smallville."

"Sorry about what?" He asked, more than a little curios as to why she had been staring at him.

"Nothing."

Clark smiled and laughed. "Okay." He said smoothly, letting the word roll slowly off his tongue as he slyly looked back up to the sky. A few minutes passed before he stuck his left hand in a jean pocket, his left elbow still propped up on the tractor tire. "Peaceful isn't it?" He asked, breaking the silence that had settled over them.

"I never thought I'd say this, but I like it. It's calming." She continued to watch the sky as the thunder rumbled even more deeply. "How long do you think it will be before it gets here?"

He removed his arm from the tire and stood up straight, sticking his other hand in his other pocket. "Maybe and hour or two, but you never know with these big storms." He arched his back and continued to stare. The clouds were still building rapidly at the front of the storm, their billowing forms extending high into the sky.

Lois nodded at his answer, not bothering with a verbal retort as she walked forward to a large maple tree by the fencing. Her feet plodded along the dry and brown grass, crunching it softly below each falling of her footwear. The sound of thunder in the distance echoed through her ears as she found the swing that hung from one of the large tree branches. Instead of two ropes and a board, it was actually made from a board and two galvanized chains. The yard light was the only thing that kept her from tripping into the small divot that previous feet had made from swinging. Sighing softly, she dropped herself into the swing and held onto the chains, looking out to the sky with wonder.

Clark looked at her back, trying to understand what was actually going on. Lois was acting different than usual, even out of character. It bothered him, but it didn't worry him. He would always care about those around him, and whether or not they were doing alright, but he knew well enough not to pry about it. It was Lois, when she did something strange she didn't expect to have to explain herself. She felt that whatever actions she took were just and without debate. He admired her for that. She never doubted herself, confident in her ability to control everything around her. For more than a few minutes he stood watching her, his eyes glancing to the sky periodically as a new flash of lightning would erupt. She had her shoes off, her feet dangling in the grass below her, her toes just barely touching. Her hand went up and undid her ponytail, allowing her long brown locks to flow steadily in the wind. The swing was rocking back and forth softly, her toes pushing her backwards each time.

"You fixed the swing?" She asked suddenly, turning her head around to watch him staring at her.

He looked from her to the sky again as more lightning and thunder made their presence known. "Yes. It broke a few months ago." He looked back down to her and smiled.

She smirked back and turned her head towards the sky once again. "You replaced the chains too." She exclaimed.

Clark smiled and walked up behind her, his hands still conveniently placed in his pockets. "The old ones were rusted." His simple answers seemed enough. The conversation was only to pass the time while they both watched the approaching storm. "Need a push?" He asked.

"Sure."

He nodded and gave her a soft push on the back, making the swing take her a little higher than before. "How high do you want to go?" He asked as she came back towards him.

"Not too high Smallville, I don't want to throw up."

She was smirking again. He knew it, even if he couldn't see it. With gentle hands he continued to push her along, keeping her at a steady pace as he smiled in content. The breeze was having the desired effect on him. It was washing away all the guilt, all the troubles that plagued his mind. With their disappearance came a new feeling, happiness. It was strange, in the presence of all things that annoyed him endlessly, her quiet presence actually made him feel good about himself, as if nothing else mattered. He had the sudden urge to live for the moment and accept who he truly was, but he was ripped from his thoughts with the sound of her voice.

"Why did you stop?" She asked, looking back at him as her feet dangled off the ground just a little.

Clark shook his head and apologized. "Sorry, I was just thinking." He went back to pushing her softy.

"About what?"

"Everything I guess." He sighed and pushed her some more. The thoughts of Lex and Lana were creeping back into his mind. He was using them so that he could blurt out his asinine thoughts of Lois and his feeling of happiness. He pushed those content thoughts to the back burner.

She scolded him, but in a friendly tone. "I swear Smallville, you sure know how to bring down the mood."

"Once again I apologize." He laughed, pushing her a little harder for her snippy tone.

"Hey!" She said loudly, almost laughing at the same time as she felt herself go higher. "I thought I said slowly."

"Yes ma'am. I'm sorry ma'am." He said mockingly.

Turning her head back to him, she watched him get closer as she swung back. "Don't keep saying your sorry, Smallville, it makes you look like a pushover."

"I am though, just look at the way I let you push me around."

Lois laughed and extended her legs out, allowing herself to glide more smoothly. "Letting me push you around and letting others do so is an entirely different matter all together."

"How so?" He asked, still smiling as he softened his pushing.

"You know what I mean." She scolded playfully.

"I have no idea what you mean." Clark replied with a soft tone. "Care to elaborate?" He was playing her little game, trying to annoy her just enough so that she would push to win, or give up; telling him it was of no consequence.

Lois grunted in annoyance. "What I mean," she stressed the word out. "is that you know that I do it because it's my favorite sport. Others do it because they find it a necessity. Take Lana for example, she has used your emotions to try and gain something from you. Or so Chloe has told me." She shut up quickly and let him continue to push her. She shouldn't have mentioned Lana, but it was no prisoners now, and she couldn't hold back. The mention of the woman's name around Clark brought out his prickly demeanor. When he didn't say anything in return, she looked back at him and was pleasantly surprised. He was smiling. It was a strange smile, something between a look of happiness and realization. "You okay?" She asked, stopping herself with her feet.

Clark looked at her, still grinning. She had been right, Lana was using his willingness to be pushed over to try and grab his secret from him. When Lois had first mentioned it he had become worried that she too was inquiring about his secret, but she had instantly brushed it aside like she would a mosquito, attributing it to something Chloe had said in a passive moment. It brought about his current grin, happy to know that Lois was so much more different than Lana. Sure, Lois was as persistent and nosey as Lana, but she knew when to keep from prodding. Lana couldn't however, his former lover unable to let go of the past. In that single moment of elation he saw everything else come into focus. He was doing the same thing, worrying about the past. Shaking his head, he laughed tenderly and grabbed the chains in each hand, leaning his weight down upon them. "I'm good." He responded, looking out at the sky again.

"Are you sure? I could have sworn you smiled."

"There's no end with you is there?" He asked with another laugh.

She could feel his towering presence standing behind her and holding the chains above. He was too close; her lingering thoughts of what Chloe had told her about Valentines Day filling her present state of mind. She steeled herself and responded in her usual banter. "Nope, and that's why you're a pushover and I'm not." She smiled to herself as she felt him begin to push her again. Her hair danced wildly as he pushed her even harder, sending her higher and higher. She thought about telling him to stop, but she was enjoying it too much. It felt like freedom, an escape from all her thoughts and troubles. Mainly her struggling thoughts were about Clark, but it was all a distant memory as she went higher and higher. "Higher!" She squealed, laughing at the same time.

Clark took her sound as one of joy, and pushed even harder. Soon enough she was swinging wildly, the chains almost parallel with the ground each time she went up. "Woozy yet?" He asked, watching the chains buckle softly as they hung weightlessly for almost a second as her weight transferred from up to down.

"My stomach's getting a fluttered." She exclaimed as she came flying back. When she was at the top of her backswing, she peered down between her legs to see him smiling widely. As she came back down, she felt his arms go around her stomach, instantly halting her forward progress. All the blood that had gone to the back of her head came rushing forward in a sudden torrent. She swayed side to side, dizzy from the sudden rush to her head. "Whoa." She said quietly, her hand going to her head.

"You said you were getting a little sick."

She put her hand back on the chain and looked up at him. He was once again towering over her, holding each chain as he leaned on them. "I was, but you could have slowed me down gradually."

"Sorry." He apologized, yet again.

"You better be." She stated, rubbing her forehead again and then grabbed the chain once more. Her eyes fell to the ground in front of her as she looked at his shadow. He was big, and apparently quite strong. He had grabbed her and stopped all her momentum without even falling over or stumbling. It crossed her mind to ask him about it, but she was ripped from her thinking by a loud rumble of thunder. "It's getting closer."

"Tell me something I don't know." He laughed, still leaning down on the chains in his hands, his chin a foot above her head. The smell of her hair was sending his thoughts wildly left and right as he tried difficulty to center them.

Lois rolled her eyes and shot back. "You push a good swing."

"What?" He asked in surprise.

She tilted her head back, staring upwards and looking at him right in the eyes. "You told me to tell you something you didn't know. I said you push a good swing."

Clark frowned down at her. "Is that the proper way to say it?" He inquired, not sure if it really was.

Lois frowned at him, and squinted her eyes. "I think so." She said with little assurance. "Sounds about right to me." She tilted her head back down just a bit as she looked off into the distant sky again. The sound of the thunder was getting louder, signifying the speed at which it was getting closer.

Feeling uncomfortable, he looked across the farm. The yard light was abuzz, mosquitoes and flies flying around it for any sensation of heat it gave off. He quickly thought about his flying, and the way he had leaped with Lois in his arms. It wasn't exactly flying, but it had the same feeling. The more he thought about it, the more he let himself get lost in the idea of soaring high above the clouds, his body breaking the wind around him. His thoughts were broken as more thunder rumbled, but louder than before.

He opened his eyes to see himself hovering a few inches off the ground. Christ! He almost shouted. He was flying, well, more less hovering, and he was doing right behind Lois. He stared in mute horror as he watched the back of her head, it unmoving as she watched the storm in the distance. He tried to set himself down, but the more he thought about Lois, the higher he went. Soon enough he was almost a foot off the ground. The dread of her finding him floating would surely bring him back down, but he didn't want it to happen that way. He desperately searched for a way to get back down, and suddenly it dawned on him. Thinking about Lana and Lex suddenly cut short his flight, his body falling deftly to the ground with a thud.

Lois heard a loud thud and looked behind her. She had felt his hands disappear from the chains, but she hadn't thought anything of it. "Clark?" She asked, noticing him gathering himself and getting back to his feet. He looked frightened, but not hurt. "What happened? Are you okay?"

Clark shook his head to clear his mind. "I think so." He looked himself over and sighed, relieved that he was attached to the earth once again. "I think I fell asleep leaning on the swing." When she looked at him strangely, he walked closer and leaned on them again.

"Maybe you should go to bed?" She offered sincerely. She leaned her head back once again to stare into his bright eyes. Her breath caught in her lungs as she awaited his answer, his eyes keeping her entranced. It was a stupid move; she shouldn't have done it, now she looked like a swooning teenager caught up in trifle emotions. They weren't real she told herself, they couldn't be.

He stared right at her. Everything within him cleared again, his body beginning to feel light. Without a second thought, he slammed Lana and Lex to the front of his mind to keep himself on the ground. He gulped loudly, realizing that he hadn't taken his eyes of hers. "I can sleep later." He managed finally.

A loud roar could be heard, much louder than any previous boom of thunder. It tore both their eyes from each other and back towards the sky.

"Plus," Clark began. "I don't think I'm going to be able sleep." His eyes peered off into the distance, his body aching at the feeling of dread that the storm seemed to bring him.

"Me either." Lois stated, her eyes wide and her hair whipping wildly in the wind. "It's going to be a long night."

Clark's eyebrows shot up immediately. What did she mean by that?

**End**


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